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Poland Wants Reparations From Germany

Warsaw (AFP) - Poland and Germany should hold "serious talks" about World War II reparations, the Polish foreign minister said Monday, after his colleague said the figure could be as high as one trillion dollars.

"We should sit down to serious talks with the Germans and together think about how to deal with the issue" of reparations, Witold Waszczykowski told the local commercial RMF radio station.

"How can we deal with the fact that Germany's 1939 attack (on Poland) and unresolved post-war issues still cast a shadow on Polish-German relations?" he said.

Warsaw was "preparing" its formal position on WWII reparations, Waszczykowski said, without specifying when it would be made public.

"The fact is that Poland was destroyed during the war, terrible crimes were committed here, and we have received no compensation for that," he said.

Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Blaszczak on Saturday said Warsaw could claim one trillion dollars from Germany.

Poland's rightwing government disputes the validity of a 1953 resolution by Warsaw's then communist authorities, who dropped claims against Germany, insisting the deal was struck under the diktat of the Soviet Union.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the powerful leader of Poland's governing conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, has accused Germany of shirking its responsibility for the massive wartime damage it inflicted on his country.

Six million Polish citizens, including around three million of Jewish origin, were killed under Nazi German occupation between 1939-45. The capital Warsaw was virtually razed to the ground.

According to a survey by the independent Ibris pollsters published late last month, 51 percent of Poles oppose any reparations claims against Germany, while 24 percent believe claims ought to be made.

The talk of reparations comes as the PiS government faces heavy fire both at home and abroad since taking office in 2015 for a slew of reforms that critics say erode democratic standards and the rule of law.

French President Emmanuel Macron said last month that Poland was going "against European interests", while German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Poland a "serious issue".

The EU launched legal action in July against the government over reforms that it fears will limit judicial independence.

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo also rejected claims that her government's actions were gradually pushing Poland out of the EU, calling the allegations "the greatest of lies, a horrible manipulation" and insisting that "we want to be in the EU, we value it".

Re: Poland Wants Reparations From Germany

Lets see Poland claim against Russia as well - for stripping the country after WW2, for joining with Germany and attacking Poland, helping to carve it up. The Katyn massacres etc etc.

Then Britain and France for not coming to its aid when they declared war on Germany in Sept 1939

Maybe Czechoslovakia should claim against Poland for Poland annexing some of its territory when Germany moved in.

From speaking to a few Polish compardres - Poland is having a little financial crisis and the government would like a bit of cash to help it out with all the reforms it has promised (particularly the military) - so it claims against Germany who is seen as the richest nation in the EU - If Germany pays up whooo party time - if Germany does not then the Polish government can blame Germany for lack of gelt

IN the days of lace-ruffles, perukes and brocade
Brown Bess was a partner whom none could despise
An out-spoken, flinty-lipped, brazen-faced jade,
With a habit of looking men straight in the eyes
At Blenheim and Ramillies fops would confess
They were pierced to the heart by the charms of Brown Bess.

Re: Poland Wants Reparations From Germany

Oh , Nick. Have a nice thread
You know how to keep degree of trolling in our site. Well done IMO!

"How can we deal with the fact that Germany's 1939 attack (on Poland) and unresolved post-war issues still cast a shadow on Polish-German relations?" he said.

Warsaw was "preparing" its formal position on WWII reparations, Waszczykowski said, without specifying when it would be made public.

"The fact is that Poland was destroyed during the war, terrible crimes were committed here, and we have received no compensation for that," he said.

Of course, an insolent lie!
The Poland got e serious post-war territorial compensation from East Germany - Pomerania, Upper Silesia. A territory , populated by a few millions of germans. Most of them have bee just slaughtered and rest unghappy been deported out of their homes. Not to mention Stalin personally agrued allied leaders to let the Poland move its western borders! Churchill was against in Tehrain conference. But uncle Joe had convinced him , using the same arguments - Poland suffered much from Germany

Re: Poland Wants Reparations From Germany

Lets see Poland claim against Russia as well - for stripping the country after WW2, for joining with Germany and attacking Poland, helping to carve it up. The Katyn massacres etc etc.

Formally , yes, they can claim the territories , lost after ww2 from ...Ukraine and Lithuania
But before they should return back Danzig and all western territories to Germany!
But this will never politically happend. Becouse it were under "evil commies" and contemporary polish beggars can't stop to pose the Poland as "victim of all it's neighbourds". It's their profitable ideology and belief.

Re: Poland Wants Reparations From Germany

Originally Posted by leccy

From speaking to a few Polish compardres - Poland is having a little financial crisis and the government would like a bit of cash to help it out with all the reforms it has promised (particularly the military) - so it claims against Germany who is seen as the richest nation in the EU - If Germany pays up whooo party time - if Germany does not then the Polish government can blame Germany for lack of gelt

Not exactly, as polish economy is doing quite well at the moment.

All the duscussion was started by one of the MPs, who was annoyed with the wide campaign in world's mass-media taking away the blame for the WW2 atrocities from the Germans. First, by talking about Nazis (presumably an alien race from outer space) attacking other countries, organizing Holocaust and genocide of Poles, Jews, Russians, Gypsies and others.
Then, all the attempts to put the blame (or at least a part of it) for the Holocaust on Poles, by describing German death camps as "polish".

So, with the level of ignorance in the media so high, the MP togehter with a group of people decided to ring a bell which would be well heard all over the world. The bell that reminds everybody who was a true murderer.

And that's it. Obviously, Germans are going to say they already paid everything, but that's bullshit. They paid some money to the people who were oppressed in the camps, as slave-workers etc. But they never paid for the atrocities and the destruction of whole country.

Re: Poland Wants Reparations From Germany

Originally Posted by Chevan

Formally , yes, they can claim the territories , lost after ww2 from ...Ukraine and Lithuania
But before they should return back Danzig and all western territories to Germany!
But this will never politically happend. Becouse it were under "evil commies" and contemporary polish beggars can't stop to pose the Poland as "victim of all it's neighbourds". It's their profitable ideology and belief.

Well, let's start with all the art, paintings, sculptures, furniture and historical and cultural goods Soviet Union have stolen since 1939.

Any thief with some minimal sense of decency would feel at least embarrassed, when caught red-handed with stolen goods kept in his home.

And how about all those Red Army regimental banners that are kept at Kremlin? I mean those which were lost by retreating Red Army in 1920?

Isn't that a bit embarrasing to keep that proof of defeat on the public display?